When should you replace roof shingles, and how do you replace them?
Short answer. Replace individual shingles when they are missing, creased or torn by wind, cracked, or pushed up by popped nails, as long as the rest of the roof is sound. To replace one, break the seal on the shingle above, pull the nails holding the damaged piece, slide in a new shingle, nail it in the nailing zone and reseal. When damage or wear covers whole slopes, replace the roof instead.
Damage that calls for new shingles
- Missing shingles. Bare underlayment or a different color rectangle on the roof after a storm.
- Wind creases. A horizontal line across a tab where wind folded it back. A creased shingle has lost strength and its seal, even if it lies flat again.
- Nail pops. Nails backing out push up the shingle above, creating a bump that can tear through and let water follow the nail.
- Cracks and tears. From falling limbs, foot traffic or age.
How the repair is done
- Pick a mild day so shingles are flexible but not soft.
- Slide a flat bar under the shingle above the damage and gently break the sealant.
- Remove the nails from the damaged shingle and the nails from the course above that pass through it.
- Pull out the damaged piece, slide in the new one and line it up with the courses beside it.
- Nail it in the manufacturer's nailing zone, renail the course above, and hand-seal the lifted tabs.
- For a nail pop, pull the nail, seal the hole, and drive a new nail just beside it into solid wood.
When to stop patching
Repairs make sense on a sound roof. If shingles crack when you lift them, wind keeps taking new ones, or damage is spread across several slopes, a full replacement is coming, and wind damage from a storm may be covered by insurance. More in wind damage to roofs in Georgia and common causes of roof leaks.